Otoniel: Dairo Antonio Úsuga, the most wanted drug trafficker in Colombia and head of the Gulf Clan, is arrested
Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias “Otoniel”, was the most wanted drug trafficker in Colombia.
Photo: REUTERS / Courtesy
The United States offered him a reward of US $ 5 million and this Saturday he was arrested.
In a joint operation by the Army, the Air Force and the Police, called “Osiris”, the Colombian authorities captured Dairo Antonio Úsuga, alias “Otoniel”, considered as the most wanted drug trafficker in Colombia and the head of the so-called Gulf Clan.
The president of Colombia, Iván Duque, confirmed the arrest of Úsuga and described it as “the hardest blow that has been dealt to drug trafficking in this century in our country.”
“This coup is only comparable to the fall of Pablo Escobar in the 90’s“He added.
“Alias Otoniel was the most feared drug trafficker in the world, a murderer of policemen, soldiers, social leaders, a recruiter of minors,” Duque also said.
“He is also known for that dementia that led him to repeatedly abuse children and adolescents. Not only was he on the cartel of the most wanted for drug trafficking, but also for the abuse of minors, “the president explained.
“This blow marks the end of the Clan del Golfo,” he said.
According to the Colombian press, against Úsuga there is a red circular issued by Interpol for multiple homicide, multiple kidnapping and conspiracy to commit a crime, among other crimes. In addition, it is the subject of more than 120 judicial processes opened for all types of crimes.
According to the authorities, the Clan del Golfo sends tons of cocaine to Central America and the United States.
Diego Molano, Colombian Defense Minister, said this Saturday that “in recent years, the Gulf Clan had become the greatest threat” because “the greater number of tons of coca that Colombia shipped to US markets. The US and Europe was managed and articulated ”by this criminal organization.
“At the same time, it had become an articulator of the micro-trafficking business that invaded cities and regions (…) and that had been responsible for disputes between various groups that had generated recent collective homicides,” added Molano.
Since 2015, there have been numerous operations to try to capture “Otoniel”. All had failed. Up to now.
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